Table 4.

Aspects of Caregiving and Caregiver Experience, Stratified Primary Caregiver Relationship to Older Adult Receiving Self-Care/Mobility Help

	All				Spouse		Child		Other
Duration and hours	1999	2004	2011	2015a	1999	2015a	1999	2015a	1999	2015a
Duration of caregiving, in years (%)a
<1 year	20.8*	15.1*	8.0	9.2	20.1*	8.7	18.6*	10.6	27.0*	7.6
1–3 years	34.4	37.1*	39.0*	30.3	34.4	27.2	34.8	31.2	33.5	38.0
4+ years	44.8*	47.8*	53.1*	60.5	45.5*	64.1	46.6*	58.2	39.5*	54.4
Mean hours per week	37.1*	36.2*	30.7	29.9	44.2*	27.5	32.2	35.0	30.9	25.5
Hours of care provided per week (%)a
≤10 hr	26.9*	31.1	31.2	35.0	19.1*	40.2	30.8	24.0	36.8	44.8
11–20 hr	14.9*	14.6*	20.0	22.2	15.4	21.5	15.9*	23.7	12.0	20.6
21–40 hr	29.7*	28.1*	22.8*	18.0	28.7*	15.7	30.3	23.3	30.9*	12.6
>40 hr	28.4	26.3	26.0	24.8	36.9*	22.6	23.0	29.0	20.4	22.1
Competing responsibilities
Co-residing child < 18 years (%)b	8.7	11.9	10.8	12.2			12.6*	26.0	15.1	18.5
Employed (%)	28.3	31.5	29.5	27.5	7.3*	15.3	47.6	40.4	36.4	36.2
Experience of providing help
Substantial emotional difficulty (%)c	22.2*	22.8*	18.2	14.9	23.0*	11.4	23.9	22.1	16.6	9.1
Substantial physical difficulty (%)c	16.5*	14.6*	10.9	9.7	20.1*	8.9	15.4	11.6	10.7	8.1
Substantial financial difficulty (%)c	14.2*	11.7	10.2	8.6	18.6*	6.9	11.2	12.4	10.1	5.3
Help from others (%)
Support group used	5.3	5.8	3.7	4.5	3.8	3.8	6.1	4.5	7.4	6.5
Respite care used	8.5*	11.2*	15.9	15.7	5.0*	10.2	12.1*	23.0	9.0	15.9

Note: ICS = Informal Caregiver Survey; NSOC = National Survey of Caregivers.

^aTests of statistical significance using reference period of 2015 and each category in comparison with all others.

^bNot asked of spousal caregivers in 2011 and 2015.

^cRefers to ratings of “4” or “5” on a 5-point scale, 1 as “not difficult at all” (in the ICS) or “a little difficult” (in NSOC) and 5 is “very difficult”.

^dReference period of ever (in the ICS) and the last year (in the NSOC).

*Denotes statistical significance at p < .05.